What Came True in 2024?
A look back at last year’s vision board
First, I want to send love to everyone in the LA area. The events of this week are unthinkable and heartbreaking. If you’re able to help, please consider making a donation (here’s where I gave: LA Food Bank). There are so many in need, and there’s no wrong way to give. ❤️
The vision board obsession continues
Vision boards have become such an important part of my life and one of my favorite ways to kick off the year. I’ll share my 2025 version in the next post, but first, I want to reflect on why these collages are so impactful—by uncovering all the things that came true as a result of last year’s vision board.
Here’s a look at the 2024 edition, by far my most colorful yet, and the first time I broke away from the uniform grid layout I’ve used for years (significant!).
Rather than revisit the images one by one as I did in 2023’s review, 2024 felt more thematic. Let’s unpack those below!
Writing my book
The most significant part of my creative year was writing, researching, and revising my book-in-progress. The highlight was my research trip to Cape Cod in May. It was such a treat to be able to step into my protagonist’s shoes and bring her world to life.
But most of the work was less glamorous: sitting at my desk, writing and rewriting. Along the way, I met some amazing people who shaped this journey: my writing teacher Georgia Clark, the wonderful writers in my group, supportive beta readers, fellow writers here on Substack and strangers willing to share their expertise during my research.
Though I’m still not quite ready to pitch to agents, I’ve grown tremendously this year, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made.
Podcasting
While my friend Steve and I ended A Podcast for Creatives in early February, we spent the year developing a new concept that we’re excited to share soon!
It was also a significant year for Film to Table, the show I co-host with my sister Laura. We expanded our presence on YouTube, and I spent many long but happy hours honing my video editing skills. Three years in, I feel like we’ve really found our voices.
Letting Go
Like many of you, these last few years have been heavy, and for our little family, caring for and saying goodbye to two of our beloved cats made things extra tough. After Dagny’s passing in May, I embraced the spirit of lightness, leaning into my word of the year: Stream.
This meant simplifying (decluttering, saying no), indulging (lots of skincare, reading, and travel), and giving myself grace. It was the year I realized how much I try to take on—and how unkind I can be to myself when I fall short.
While the year ended with another big challenge—our last cat, Rory, was diagnosed with cancer—I feel more equipped to face it. I don’t know if that cat image is supposed to be him, or me, but it makes me laugh. 😂
Enjoying Life
Here are some of the joyful moments that came true this year:
A fantastic trip to LA in August to visit my sister and brother-in-law.
An unprecedented amount of reading and library visits, plus beginning to convert our loft into a cozy library space.
A last-minute weekend visit with dear friends, enjoying bourbon, records, and conversation.
Finally, I love uncovering magic moments through my vision boards (some of you may remember my Cotswalds incident from last year). This year’s didn’t emerge until the very end of the year when I listened to Ina Garten’s memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
In it, she talks about her first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, which I immediately wanted to flip through and use, sparking a memory that I already own it—it was gifted to me at my bridal shower back in 2008. I’m feeling called to try more advanced recipes—the kind that take patience and days to make, encouraging me to slow down and savor the process.
Cut to me getting chills when I noticed that The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook had also been on my vision board all year, right below a title that reads A Return to Cooking. ✨✨✨
The phrase “Be Ready When the Luck Happens” also stuck with me and has already made its way onto my 2025 vision board. I’ll share it in the next post!
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💭 Creative Exercises/Journal Prompts
1. Reflect on 2024: What were the best parts? How did you evolve?
2. Identify any “magic moments” from last year that surprised or delighted you.
3. Scroll through your photo roll and find a particularly happy moment. Use it as inspiration for a piece of art—visual or written—to capture that memory and cultivate more like it.
☀️ Five good things
When we can recognize the things that bring us the most joy, we invite more of them into our lives. Here are five things that made me happy this week. Share yours below!
Five good things that happened this week:
1. My parents arrived in Florida for the winter, and my sister and brother-in-law joined us after evacuating from Santa Monica (their home is fine 🙏). We’ve been enjoying slow days filled with home-cooked meals, movies, and watercoloring.
2. I finished reading God of the Woods. It absolutely lived up to the hype! Now I’m craving more mysteries—please send recommendations.
3. Though I haven’t started reading my new copy of The Artist’s Way, I’ve begun practicing morning pages, which have been insightful and therapeutic.
4. I hobbled to the finish line but completed the third draft of my book. I feel far from triumphant, but I’m trying to hype myself up for Draft 4.
5. I updated the gallery wall behind my desk, a bright spot in an otherwise challenging week.
💬 Share your intention
Whether it’s a giant leap, a tiny to-do list item, a habit change, or something else, there is power in accountability, and this is a safe space to share your aim. Some weeks, we’ll fail, others we’ll soar, but with support, we’ll always keep going together.
Until next week, get out there and make something beautiful.
Michelle
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Super exciting to hear how your novel is progressing, Michelle! What an accomplishment. Just think where you'll be by the end of the year. You have quite the creative eye with your vision boards, too. Really beautiful. As for how I feel about 2025... I think I spent a lot of last year battling the clock, so this year I'd like to be more intentional about a calmer, steadier pace. It all gets done eventually, and it helps that I'm feeling motivated about tackling the second draft of my novel.
CONGRATS ON YOUR DRAFT!!
I love seeing how intentional you are about casting and following up on vision. So fun to see what does and doesn't come to fruition (often for our good). I love the magic moments too... synchronicities are my JAM.
p.s. That gallery wall is SO good!